Bring peace to my soul

Do you have that movie that whenever you see it’s streaming on a service you already pay for, you immediately turn it on? (I was going to use an analogy about seeing it just playing on your TV, but let’s be real nobody has time to pay for cable.)

For me, that movie is Inception. I absolutely adore the Christopher Nolan espionage / action / thriller / drama / etc. And when I saw I could stream it on Netflix last week, I never smashed play faster.

I needed something to be playing while I installed my box braids and as Leonardo DiCaprio washed upon the shore in the opening scene I felt an incredible sense of peace and contentment wash over me.

I was engaged in my favorite things: creating art with my hair and consuming amazing art on my screen, while warm and safe inside.

I don’t know if the actors, or the script supervisor, or line director, or crafts service people, were thinking about viewers like me when they showed up to work that day and played their role in creating and executing Nolan’s creative vision. I don’t know if Nolan himself was thinking about his audience or was just compelled to create as we artists often are.

Regardless, he and his crew did, and it was the ripples of their choices that washed over me that day too.

I was swept away by the narrative, the set design, the choreography.

I was motivated to continue creating and to think innovatively about the art I make.

I was inspired to write this piece, which you are reading now, and who knows how it will affect you?

I was reminded that art doesn’t stop when it’s creation is complete, that’s when it’s life begins.

And I was overcome with the understanding that the impact you have with the art you make may be far more profound than even you can realize.

Your art can be the thing that makes someone’s eyes light up. That makes their heart beat a little faster. That makes their stomach drop. That brings a smile to their lips.